Harun Musho'd: Harun with a View
The Rabbit Hole
1st August 2016

★★★★☆

What image comes to mind when I say "Senior Manager in the British Civil Service?" As a middle-aged, slightly overweight man (or "fat" as his doctor tactfully describes him), Harun Musho'd probably fits a couple of your stereotypes. But this show is not The Office. For starters, Musho'd is actually one and a half people: half Swiss, half Sri Lankan and half British. He has an Arabic name, thanks to his Muslim father, and a Catholic mother and wife. (Not the same person!) Musho'd went to university just two years ago and was a music reviewer for the student paper. Add to this the antics of his unfaithful father and youngest brother, and he has more material to draw on than most. Luckily, this all makes Harun With A View a very entertaining evening.

Politics and history feature prominently in the show, woven into the conversation as Musho'd discusses his own identity. He touches on topics such as Swiss neutrality in World War II, the flaws in UKIP's policies, Brexit, and why Camberwell Bus Garage was responsible for the Iraq war - yes really! There are also the 'obligatory' references to terrorism and suicide bombers. But while Musho'd is 'disaffected' by Western society, due to being passed over for promotion five times, I think we can all sleep safely in the knowledge that he won’t be running off to join ISIS anytime soon. Criticism of religious beliefs (leaving no religion untouched) is another key topic. Whilst It's all done very well, if you're overly sensitive about such things this probably isn’t the show for you. Mind you, being overly sensitive probably rules out most comedy gigs...

My favourite part of the evening was a Monty Python-style run down of all the terrorist groups that have wreaked havoc on the UK: "There were no terrorists before the Muslims, oh except for those..." Somehow Musho’d manages to link nearly all the groups to his wife, but luckily for her, "She is okay. She can stay." I also enjoyed the wild stories about his father and youngest brother. If you like gossip, you may have heard of the latter, as he apparently ended up in OK! Magazine. Musho'd really was blessed with the perfect family for a comedian!

Although Musho'd hosts a regular comedy night, Harun with a View is his debut solo stand-up show. I think it's fair to say that we'll be seeing a lot more of this Civil Service Manager stepping out on his own in the future. A few lines were stumbled over here and there, however crucially, that certainly didn't stop the audience from laughing.

This is a fun, lively show, and Musho'd has the makings of a great comedian. I would highly recommend it if you're passing through Hampstead (oh, providing you're not a member of the Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum, as they are all banned from the Duke of Hamilton pub - err sorry, guys). If you're not part of the forum and you want to find out more about this fascinating story, you'll have to watch Musho'd. Enjoy!

Harun Musho'd: Harun with a View ran from 1st August to 2nd August 2016 at the Rabbit Hole, as part of the Camden Fringe.

Nearest tube station: Hampstead (Northern)